Freemasonry

binding my self UNDER NO LESS A PENALITY than that of ..... (the penality of each degree). What is explained as no less a penality? What is the penality?

The point of the obligation is that masons are supposed to view the penality of the obligation, which is explained as being kicked out of the faternity, as some horrible event.

One interesting thing I have notices posting on various sites is that if I ask a question or post an opinion on an open masonic site, my opinions are respected and if I have erronious facts, they are respectfully corrected. On this site you get the good Christian response of "I would suggest you do some real study before coming in here and sugar coating the evil that is the masonic lodge and their occultic traditions and ritual."

Just because I don't agree with you doesn't mean that I am attacking your opinion, or sugar coating anything.

Masonic oath penality: get kicked out
Military oath: get kicked out, locked up, or in extreme cases killed.

My point was not the penality of the obligation, but if you say (and I am not saying Bro Tony, that you are of this opinion) not to take any oath as described in the Bible, how do you justify becoming a servicemember, police officer, doctor, etc.?

I have studied the masons, by the way.

 

Clearly we disagree on the nature of the oath, in both freemasonry and other venues. That really wasn’t my initial point. I don’t see why Christian sites cannot just state the facts about the fraternity. Bottom line is much is up to interpretation. For example, “swear or affirm”. I consider it absurd to say I didn’t swear the oath of enlistment, I affirmed the oath of enlistment there by avoiding taking the oath. But if I felt compelled by my belief to say “affirm”, but gave in and said “swear”, that would be wrong. My concern was that organizations misrepresent the facts about masonry to achieve their goals (both pro Masonic and anit-masonic).

Most anti-Masonic sites in America include outlandish claims originating from Gabriel Jogand-Pages – Taxil (Secret Love life of Pius IX, The Masonic Murders, The Three-Pointed Brothers, etc.) Some go to other sources claiming that they are a Jewish front for world domination (The Protocols of the Elders of Zion). These claims are easily dismissed by both the mason and non-mason with little effort, but they still show up in anti-Masonic sites (even Christian sites).

Masonry as it is today was developed by two ministers in the 1700s. Masons try to claim other extravagant origins. It did develop from a pre-existing group, but it is not that group today.

Masons claim to be a universal society, but racism still has a stronghold in many states.

Masons claim a strong role in the formation of the United States. It is true that many of our founding fathers were masons, but it stops there.

There are Christian Masons who are not misled or naive about the fraternity. They view the initiation play differently than those who are offended. They see the candidate as a player in the allegory to teach universal moral lessons. There are the degrees, which are plays that really don’t teach anything. Afterwards there are business meetings and social opportunities. What do they teach? Nothing.

Years ago I went through the three degrees, the Scottish Rite, and York Rite just to find out for myself. Some may say this was a dumb idea (and I’m not saying it wasn’t), but I did it because of the misleading information I found through Christian sources. Am I worse for it? No. Am I better for it? No. Have I ever been taught any religious lesson? No. What did I learn? The Junior Warden’s fund buys the food.

My chief concern about the fraternity is that young Christians, or individuals seeking God can get caught up in the structure of the fraternity and substitute that for Christianity. The freemasons are not a Christian fraternity, and make it clear that they offer no hope for salvation, pointing members to church. But I’ve seen masons who were dedicated to the lodge but not to their church.